The fate of Sycamore’s former Engh Farmstead, 1730 N. Main St., is up to the city council.

The 5.9-acre plot of land was given to the city, which is currently reviewing proposals from nonprofit agencies interested in obtaining the property.

“It’s the council’s responsibility to find the highest and best use for that property,” Sycamore Mayor Ken Mundy said. “The council said from the very beginning that it’s not going to be rushed. We’re not in any big time frame here, and we’re seeking public input.”

The Kishwaukee Family YMCA, DeKalb County Court Services and the Sycamore Historical Society and Museum, are interested agencies.

Kishwaukee Family YMCA

Rob Wilkinson, executive director of the Kishwaukee Family YMCA, was hesitant to go into detail about the possible partnership.

“We’re not in a position yet to give out all of the details of what we’d like to do there,” Wilkinson said. “We’re still working through some potential options and potential partners.”

Wilkinson said plans will be revealed once the YMCA is “ready and able to let that information out.”

“Hopefully we’ll know more in the next couple of weeks,” he said.

DeKalb County Court Services

Margi Gilmour, deputy director of DeKalb County Court Services, said the county is not ready to comment on its plans either.

Mundy said the county’s proposal stated interest in developing the property to serve as a halfway home for juveniles.

“It’s a measure to provide a safe and neutral and controlled environment with adult supervision for either victims or young perpetrators of domestic violence,” Mundy said.

Mundy said he spoke with a representative from the county who said this is not a new need for the county.

“It’s been an ongoing need,” Mundy said.

The farmstead property isn’t the county’s only option for such a residence, Mundy said. He mentioned other property already owned by the county as
possible alternatives.

“Judge Kurt Klein has a list of volunteer homes where, even in the middle of the night, children can be removed from an at-risk situation and housed up to 72 hours in a kind of safe home,” Mundy said. “There already is a list of volunteers, so it isn’t that we’re not doing anything to be proactive to safeguard kids at risk.”

Sycamore Historical Society and Museum

Michelle Donahoe, executive director of the Sycamore Historical Society and Museum, said her main concern with the museum’s current location is a lack of available space to grow. The museum is located in the lower level of Sycamore’s city hall, 308 W. State St.

“We’ve had to turn away people in the past with things too large,” Donahoe said. “There’s just no room for it right now.”

In the event of city approval for the museum’s bid, the farmstead’s larger building would be used for exhibits and storing museum collections. The site’s smaller building would house the museum’s archives and serve as office space, Donahoe said.

Outdoor programming and prairie restoration are also a part of the museum’s plans.

“We’d like to show what this area might have looked like before it was settled,” Donahoe said. “To be able to interpret that space and tell that story is just so valuable. Our goal is to preserve the past, educate the present, and safeguard Sycamore’s treasures for future generations.”

The museum is working with the Sycamore Park District on future use for the property.

Donahoe said the Kishwaukee Family YMCA may also join them.

“We’re going to talk with them and see if we can all work together,” Donahoe said.

Mundy said it’s a good thing when local entities can work together.

“If they [Sycamore Historical Society and Museum] can reach some common consensus with the park district and Kishwaukee in seeking to use that property in a way that will best benefit the community, I think it will be well received.”

The council still has the option to do nothing, Mundy said.

“We want to exhaust all the possibilities before the council goes ahead with this,” Mundy said. “I think this is a wonderful opportunity for local non-for-profits, and I think eventually the council will come to a decision that will benefit the entire community.”

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